{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=66F13789-E898-47AB-8F96-5C7684B20453", "McConnell: Democrats Choose Summer of Show Votes Over Urgent Business", "2024-07-30", "2024", "2024-07", "Republican", "Senate", "KY", "Mitch McConnell", "M000355", "www.mcconnell.senate.gov", "mcconnell", "https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding Senate business:\n\n\u201cThe Senate is preparing to leave town for the August state work period. But there\u2019s no mistaking that our most important business here in Washington remains unfinished.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s take a look at how the Senate has spent its summer so far.\n\n\u201cIn June, the Democratic Leader called up a series of show votes, spending precious floor time on what Senate Democrats seem to have thought would be political home-runs. Instead, they gave Republicans the opportunity to reiterate our support for Americans hoping to start families.\n\n\u201cIf June was the month of fear-mongering, July was the month of giving unqualified nominees lifetime promotions to the federal bench.\n\n\u201cTake Nancy Maldonado, unfortunately now a federal judge on the 7th Circuit. This is a judge infamous for letting her work pile up and blaming her clerks for her lack of time management. It\u2019s particularly ironic that Senate Democrats chose to procrastinate on their most urgent responsibilities by confirming a nominee with a nearly unparalleled record of judicial procrastination.\n\n\u201cCongress has real work in front of us. Some of which really should be behind us by now \u2013 from the National Defense Authorization Act to the Farm Bill to annual appropriations.\n\n\u201cOur colleagues on the Armed Services Committee reported the NDAA by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote over a month ago. But so far, the Democratic Leader hasn\u2019t come close to putting this must-pass authorizing legislation right here on the floor.\n\n\u201cOf course, urgent national security priorities won\u2019t fund themselves, either. The Senate hasn\u2019t cleared a defense appropriations bill, or any other government funding, for that matter.\n\n\u201cWell, at least FY 25 appropriations have been written. The Farm Bill that\u2019s supposed to help America\u2019s growers and producers succeed doesn\u2019t even exist yet. Apparently, it\u2019s just a twinkle in Chair Stabenow\u2019s eye.\n\n\u201cMr. President, the American people sent us here to do a job. And a show-vote summer can\u2019t hide the fact that Senate Democrats\u2019 majority isn\u2019t earning its keep.\u201d\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:32:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=66F13789-E898-47AB-8F96-5C7684B20453"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8200251031666994, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}